Washington elites snub Donald Trump by breaking 140-year-old tradition at exclusive Gridiron Club Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC: Washington’s political and media bigwigs gathered for the Gridiron Club Dinner over the weekend - a swanky, white-tie affair where power players usually share laughs and light jabs at each other.

But this year the gloves came off, and the usual toast to the sitting president was scrapped in favor of a tribute to the First Amendment - a clear dig at President Donald Trump, who was notably absent.

Trump’s shadow loomed large at white-tie affair

For nearly 140 years, the elite dinner has been a must-attend for presidents from both parties, where they stand before lawmakers, ambassadors, and the media to crack self-deprecating jokes. Trump himself showed up during his first administration, but this time he ditched the gathering altogether and hightailed it to his Florida home.

His absence didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, attendees broke with a tradition dating all the way back to the event’s founding in 1885. Instead of raising a glass to the president (as has always been done), they toasted the First Amendment.

While Trump may have skipped the festivities, he still made an appearance - sort of. The evening wrapped up with a video montage featuring past Republican presidents, including Trump himself (from his first term), along with Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, and George W Bush, all delivering their signature comedic jabs at the annual dinner.

The night’s entertainment was a bipartisan roast, with speakers from both sides of the aisle taking their best shots. And while Democrats took plenty of heat after their recent election losses, Trump, DOGE, and Elon Musk were all prime targets.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore takes various swipes

The night’s Democrat headliner was Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a rising star in the party and a rumored 2028 presidential hopeful. He leaned into the speculation: "In the middle of the chaos, people are asking if I will be the new leader of the resistance. My answer is always the same. That job is filled."

He also took aim at longtime Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. Moore joked, "And I wanna thank Senator Mitch McConnell for fighting the good fight," referencing McConnell’s history of voting against multiple Trump nominees.

Then, Moore took a swipe at Vice President JD Vance, saying he barely recognized him anymore “because of the eyeliner.”

Moore wasn’t afraid to poke fun at himself and the other Democratic governors being floated as presidential contenders. He even threw a playful jab at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and others in the mix.

"If I actually wanted to be president, I wouldn’t be headlining this event. Instead, I would take my case directly to the people who are in charge of our democracy. The Kremlin," Moore quipped.

Bizarre and hilarious skits at Gridiron Club Dinner

According to the New York Times’ Shawn McCreesh, the night was packed with some bizarre and hilarious skits.

One standout number featured a man dressed as Elon Musk in his tech support t-shirt, waving around a chainsaw while singing about his alleged shift to the far right. "I’ll turn the GOP into the AfD." (For those who don’t know, the AfD is Germany’s far-right party.)

Another act saw two men pretending to be House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer - except they were covered in leaves and lost in the woods. The chorus went, "No one cares about your pronouns when you’re lost in the woods."

And then there was the musical number featuring a mock Joe Biden dressed as an Amtrak employee, which the crowd couldn't get enough of.

Another dramatic moment came when Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator John Fetterman were portrayed in a heated argument.

AOC accused Fetterman of secretly being MAGA, while he fired back by calling her a communist. Meanwhile, another skit had a mock Usha Vance (wife of VP JD Vance) singing about being a phony populist.

Bipartisan camaraderie?

Despite the endless roasting, there were moments of bipartisan goodwill. Moore and Republican headliner Congresswoman Lisa McClain shared a tight hug after he jokingly admitted, “I have no idea who she is.”

For her part, McClain — who holds the highest-ranking Republican woman position in the House—also took jabs at the Trump Cabinet, joking that Robert Kennedy Jr couldn’t make it because "he's got the measles."

She also delivered another stinger, saying Trump had to pick Pam Bondi as attorney general “because the Menendez brothers were unavailable.”

Musical numbers took further aim at Trump’s inner circle, with cheeky rewrites of Broadway and pop hits skewering his top officials.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also found themselves in the firing line.

Former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe even got in on the action, dressing as FDR for a skit before hilariously going off-script.

Serious moments and no-shows

Of course, it wasn’t all jokes and jabs. The night also had its solemn moments, including a standing ovation for Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova and another for the mother of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

PBS’s Judy Woodruff, who currently serves as Gridiron Club President, emceed the event.

While Trump himself was a no-show, his administration wasn’t completely absent.

Former HUD Secretary Scott Turner was spotted at the event, but it was a stark contrast to previous years.

Back in 2017, then-Vice President Mike Pence took the stage. Trump himself made an appearance in 2018 and his daughter Ivanka Trump addressed the crowd in 2019.

Woodruff said that this year, the invites were sent to the president, the vice president, the national security adviser, and the interior secretary, but all declined. Even the secretary of state was reportedly unavailable, per the Daily Mail.